The Suite Life of Zack and Maddie
by lagunabreeze
Summary: Zack has been head over heels since he could remember, now that they're a bit older, will anything change?


Zack had spotted her across the lobby as soon as he had arrived back from his trip to Colorado to visit his mother, Cody had already ran up to his room claiming he had too many household chores to do to be lounging around downstairs. Zack was thankful sometimes that he no longer lived with Cody… He enjoyed being a few doors down from him as he was still close to home but Zack was too tired for all the pestering today. He watched Maddie serving a young girl, smiling brightly as she handed the candy over. God, how he missed that smile. His whole holiday was sabotaged by thoughts of Maddie finally getting a boyfriend and essentially yet not intentionally flaunting it in front of him. He knew the day was coming and he was dreading it. He'd had intense feelings for her since his teen years, he was now 19 and she was 21. Sure, he'd brought back many girls in the hopes of making her jealous or provoking some sort of reaction, but the thought of Maddie bringing someone back made him sick to his stomach.

Maddie lived on the floor above Zack, directly above actually. It came in handy sometimes, Maddie had been ill a few weeks before Zack had left for his trip and she'd fainted, Zack had heard the thud and ran to be what she called her "knight in shining armour." Zack decided to stop staring at Maddie and to go upstairs to freshen up, he had just had the worst road trip back to the Tipton and felt exhausted.

He stood in the elevator, suitcase handle in one hand and cell phone in the other. He briefly browsed through any messages he'd missed, nobody important. There were girls trying to throw themselves at him, his mother wishing him a safe ride home, his friends asking when he was free to hangout. He yawned and locked the screen, stuffing it in to his pocked as he paced towards his room after exiting the elevator. He unlocked the door and walked in, a sigh of relief passing through his lips as he set down the case and headed straight to the bathroom to have a shower.

Meanwhile, Maddie was downstairs having her lunch break when she'd also checked her messages. There was one that stood out and caused a rather loud sob to fill the silence, her ex boyfriend had sent her a text to "remind her that she was damaged goods" while also repeatedly swearing at and insulting her. She shook her head and text him back, telling him to leave her the hell alone. His response was to laugh at how much of a bad lay she is, how unflattering her body was and how much of a bitch she could be. A tear rolled down her cheek, as if she wasn't already self conscious… She now had more things to add to her list of flaws.

As Zack finished up dressing himself in some fresh clothes, he grabbed the bare minimal and left the room, eager to see his blonde beauty. He almost tripped at how fast he was walking, awkwardly smiling when Mr. Moseby had seen him dashing through the corridors. Once in the lobby, he noticed she wasn't at her desk and decided she must be in the back having a break, so he walked in without hesitation. He saw the mascara running down her face, her lips curved downwards and her pained expression. Immediately, he almost ran to sit down beside her and wrapped one arm around her shoulders. "Maddie? What's going on?" He whispered the question, trying not to break the silence too much as he knew she didn't like to talk a lot when she was upset.

"Nothing's going on, my ex boyfriend is being an asshole and I'm feeling sorry for myself" she responded, gesturing towards the screen with all of the messages on it. Zack instantly picked it up and began reading, his own expression turning to one of anger as he began texting him back for her. Once he had given him quite a nasty reply, he blocked the phone number and gave Maddie her phone back.

"He doesn't know what he's talking about, he's probably sore because he lost out on the best thing that ever happened to him. You're beautiful, intelligent… Hell, I've seen you round the pool in your bikini and your body is fantastic. You're kind and caring, and as for being damaged goods? Everybody has their baggage, I guess we're all damaged goods." Zack began to blush as he realised he had been rambling on, he wanted to make her feel better but once he started being honest, the compliments kept flowing out.

The smile he loved had returned on Maddie's face though, so it was all worth it.

"Thank you, Zack. You're the only man that can lighten up my day." She sighed and rested her head on his shoulder before looking at her watch. "I've got to get back to the desk."

She stood up and began heading for the door before turning around slightly and grinning "and welcome back, I missed you."

"Wait!" Zack exclaimed just as she was leaving. "I know what'll finish cheering you up, what say we go for a few drinks later?"

She considered it for a moment, almost hesitating before answering "okay, Zack, sure… I finish at 6, I'll be ready for 8?"

He nodded his head at her and winked as she flashed a smile in return before going back to the desk. Boy, was Zack excited for tonight. He knew he couldn't announce his feelings, although he was pretty sure she knew he was still head over heels for her, but tonight was about making her feel happier. That was all he wanted.


End file.
